The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1887-03-12

hooks of many coors, and marigolds and
ssters, all growing together. Red clover,
beds If roses and balsam shared the
ground with the humber but no less val
ued catnip, motherwort and golden rod ;
while honeysuckles and woodbnes chung
to what was intended for a porch, and
which was as like one as the missionary
could make il with the materials at hand
1t was these flowers. objects Of love and
| admiration. that softened the lot of the
missionary and his wife, and made them
forget many of the privations they had
to bear. And it was while seated on
this low porch, in the cool Of the even
ing, moving his pipe-his only indul-
gence-that he was seized by tiger and
carried off. Traces of tigers had been
seen in the flower garden. and some of
the negroes had said, with trembling
limbs, that they had seen one there; but
the alarm was never given in time for
the mis- iOnary and his wife to catch sight
OF the dreaded creature. The presence
OF such terrible foe in the immediate
neighborhOod sent chill to every heart.
for they were powcrless to contend with
him, having only one shotgun. There
denly burst upon them; and when, with
bound. h. carried OIL the head of the
house. they were pagalyzed.
The mate said he would do what he
coald to drive off the monster; but al
most before he had time to tske it all in
the tiger again appeared, as he sat on
the doorstep Eliminating The creature
thlst'me did not come with glazing eyes
intent on his prey, but was spiri;lcss and
evidently Ill. Whether the miss .onary
had not agreed with him, or, in satisfy
ing his voraciOus appetite, he had awal-
lowed too many brass buttons or, per
haps, the missionary false teeth, could
not be asccrtained. Certainly the crca-
ture was moping, and for long time
mo one caring 20 90 out and drive him
OH he lay in part of the garden he had
frcquented before, apparently munching
something.
The next morning the mate carefully
examined the spot, and saw that the
tiger had confined his attention to the
catnip bcd. Here was a revelation, and
from it the mate was quick to draw a
conclusion. Cats" said he to himself,
'lovc catnip, eat of it freely, and always
turn to it when ailing. A cat" he went
on, sis diminutive tiger; a tiger is
monstrOus cat; whether large or small,
cat or tiger, they have one taste in com
mon; a love Of catnip."
Having reasoned thus, he set about
turning his conclusions to account. salts.
fled that with the aid of catnip he might
capture this troublesome tiger-perhaps
many tigers, greatly to his profit. Ex-
actly how it was to be done required
more reflection. At last it came to him
that with thu aid of the negroes about
the mission, he could make a corral of
timber. with sidea so high and sloping
i'll that tiger, once caught, could not
climb up and over the paling. The work
was begun, and the corral when COM
plet was to he planted thick with cat
nip, especially about the trap, which the
tiger was expected to spring when
rolling in the savory bed. The widow
entered heartily into the scheme, the
negroes were encouraged to work,
and in time the corral was made
and planted. 1t worked to a charm,
for the first night after it was
opened the old tiger lwho had recov-
cred his vigor) came snutiing around,
and not finding sprig of catnip in the
garden. followed up the scent and struck
the trail. But when he came to the cor
raj he was rather suspicious, for every
thing about it was new, and the ground
was covered with fresh chips. There
was plenty of catnip within; he could
see that, and he could find it nowhere
else; and after many feiuts he entered
stealthily, touched the spring as he
pushed on, and in a moment was secured.
But the catching of the tiger was
nothing compared to the labor and anx-
iety attending getting him into a Gaze